Background: From April 2010 to January 2011, a severe new viral disease had devastated most duck-farming regions in China. This disease affected not only laying ducks but also meat ducks, causing huge economic losses for the poultry industry. The objective of this study is to develop a one-step reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for the detection of the new virus related to Tembusu-related Flavivirus. Results: The RT-LAMP assay is very simple and rapid, and the amplification can be completed within 50 min under isothermal conditions at 63°C by a set of 6 primers targeting the E gene based on the sequences analysis of the newly isolated viruses and other closely related Flavivirus.The monitoring of gene amplification can also be visualized by using SYBR green I fluorescent dye. In addition, the RT-LAMP assay for newly isolated Tembusu-related Flavivirus showed higher sensitivity with an RNA detection-limit of 2 copies/μL compared with 190 copies/μL of the conventional RT-PCR method. The specificity was identified without cross reaction to other common avian pathogens. By screening a panel of clinical samples this method was more feasible in clinical settings and there was higher positive coincidence rate than conventional RT-PCR and virus isolation. Conclusion: The RT-LAMP assay for newly isolated Tembusu-related Flavivirus is a valuable tool for the rapid and real-time detection not only in well-equipped laboratories but also in general conditions.

Since mid-2015, numerous outbreaks of hydropericardium-hepatitis syndrome (HHS), which is caused by a novel fowl adenovirus serotype 4 (FAdV-4), have been reported in chickens in parts of China, thereby causing huge economic losses to the poultry industry. Thus, an effective vaccine to control the further spread of infections with this hyper-virulent FAdV-4 is imperative. In this study, we isolated a novel FAdV-4 strain SDJN0105 from a broiler farm with HHS disease in Shandong Province. Pathogenicity was evaluated by the observation of clinical symptoms, necropsy changes, and pathological tissue sections after oral and intramuscular (IM) infection of Specific pathogen free (SPF) chickens. The chickens infected by IM injection all died within three days, and chickens infected via the oculonasal route died within five days post-infection (dpi). Histopathological examination revealed that the pathology was confined to heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, and particularly the liver. Irrespective of the inoculation route, the highest viral DNA copy numbers were detected in the livers of infected chickens. The mRNA expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IFNs, TNF-α, Mx, and OASL were significantly upregulated during the viral infection. In addition, an inactivated oil-emulsion FAdV-4 vaccine was developed. The vaccine could provide full protection for SPF chickens against a lethal dose of the FAdV-4 strain SDJN0105 and a high level of antibodies. These results improve our understanding of the innate immune responses in chickens infected with FAdV-4 and the pathogenesis of FAdV-4 caused by host factors, and the developed FAdV-4 vaccine is promising as a drug candidate for the prevention and reduction of the spread of HHS in poultry in China.

Background: Little information is known about viral distribution and transmission of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) in species other than swine. It is still a debated topic whether the PCV2 could be infected and caused clinical lesions. Our study is aimed to estimate the susceptibility of Kunming mouse to PCV2. Forty-eight, 6-week-old Kunming mice were randomly divided into four groups. Group A (C1-C12) was inoculated with PK-15 cell culture as a control group. Group B (sPCV1-12) was inoculated orally and intramuscularly with PCV2 (10^6.2TCID₅₀/ml). Group C (mPCV1-12) was inoculated orally and intramuscularly with PCV2 (10^6.2TCID₅₀/ml) and a booster inoculation at days 14 and 28 after the first inoculation. Group D (MixPCV1-12) was unvaccinated but released into Group C. Each group was sacrificed at 7, 14, 28, and 42 days post-inoculation, respectively. Necropsy was checked on every mouse. Sera samples were collected for the test of PCV2 specific antibody. Tissues were collected for histopathology study and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: The results showed that viral replication, seroconversion, and microscopic lesions were found in inoculated mice. Continuous existence of PCV2 viruses in lymph nodes have been confirmed by PCR, which took at least seven days for the virus to be transferred into other organs from the primary interface, and the diffusion to thymus had been retarded for seven days. Special PCV2 antibody could be found in PCV2 inoculation mice and was significantly higher than that in the control. Further more, microscopic lesions and the main target of PCV2 focused in the lymph nodes with a characteristic depletion and occasional necrosis of lymphocytes in the cortex and paracortex were found in inoculated mice. Conclusions: The Kunming mouse could be infected by PCV2 virus and used as a PCV2 infected experimental model.

Fowl adenovirus (FAdV) is an infectious agent that can cause jaundice, severe anaemia, dyspnoea and reproductive disorders in fowls. Since 2015, FAdV disease has been rapidly spreading among broiler chickens in China, where it has caused significant economic losses. In this study, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) real-time turbidity method with strong specificity to FAdV was established. The established assay was specific to FAdV-4, and the lower limit of detection was 75 copies/μL of extracted DNA. The positive detection rate for the suspected tissue samples was 33.3% (14/42), which was consistent with that of the real-time PCR. The proposed LAMP method can quickly and accurately detect prevalent FAdV via real-time turbidity assay, thereby providing a diagnostic platform for the prevention and control of the FAdV disease.

Background: Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the primary causative agent of the emerging swine disease known as postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). Nowadays, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is still the most widespread technique in pathogen detection. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), a novel nucleic acid amplification method developed in 2000, will possibly replace PCR in the field of detection. To establish a LAMP method for rapid detection of PCV2, two pairs of primers were designed specially from the open reading frame 2 (ORF2) sequences of PCV2. A LAMP method for rapid detection of PCV2 was established. To compare with PCR, sensitivity and specificity of LAMP were evaluated using the optimized reaction system. The LAMP products could be determined by agarose gel electrophoresis or adding SYBR Green I dye. Results: The amplification of LAMP could be obtained at 63°C for 60 min. The detection limit was nearly 1 copy of DNA plasmid, more sensitive than PCR. There was no cross-reaction with porcine circovirus type 1 (PCV1), porcine pseudorabies virus (PRV) and porcine parvovirus (PPV) under the same conditions. Conclusions: LAMP is an useful rapid detection method with high sensitivity and specificity for PCV2.